The program we want to run is a five-day residential week. The program we can run first is a two-day workshop where everyone sleeps in town. The gap between them is infrastructure and permits, and it’s worth writing down because anyone planning to host people on rural land will hit the same wall.
What housing people requires
To keep eight to ten people on a property for a week, you need somewhere legal for them to sleep, a septic system sized for them, and potable water. None of those is a weekend project:
- Septic. A system sized for group use is the single largest line item in the buildout. Our planning range is $56,000–89,000.
- Lodging. Either a permitted bunkhouse, or campsites. In Michigan, offering sites as temporary living quarters for five or more recreational units brings campground licensing into the picture.
- Water. A potable supply that has been tested and that you’re willing to put in front of paying guests.
What a day program requires
A non-residential Field Day runs on much less: portable toilets serviced by a licensed hauler, hauled potable water, and a shade structure. People sleep in Sault Ste. Marie, 20 minutes away, where the motels already have septic systems.
That means real sessions, real photographs, and a curriculum tested under real conditions a season or two before the Axe Weeks are physically possible.
What we’re verifying before any date is published
Reading the rules is not the same as having the answer in writing. Before a Field Day date goes on the site:
- Township and county zoning: confirm commercial recreation is permitted on the parcel.
- County environmental health: sanitation requirements for day-use gatherings.
- Insurance: commercial general liability plus participant accident coverage, quoted and bound.
- The participant agreement, drafted by a Michigan attorney.
Regulatory note, dated 2026-09-20. The licensing and permitting points above are our current understanding and have not yet been confirmed with Chippewa County or the state. Thresholds and requirements change. Verify with your own county and with EGLE before relying on any of it. This post will be updated with what we’re told, and when.
The other reason
A person who drives five hours for a Saturday is a person who will book a week. Field Days cost $650 and a weekend. They are how you find out whether this is worth your time, and how we find out whether people will actually drive to Brimley.